Record Number of Coronavirus Patients on Ventilators in Greece Monday

Greece recorded its highest number of coronavirus patients on ventilators Monday, with 847 people undergoing the intensive treatment.

This figure is six more than the 841 patients undergoing the invasive treatment in the country yesterday, Sunday.

The country also recorded 1,607 cases of the coronavirus on Monday, which marks 222 fewer instances of Covid-19 than the 1,829 cases that had been diagnosed in the country on Sunday.

A total of 20,848 coronavirus tests, a significantly smaller figure than usually recorded,  were conducted across the country during the day, bringing the positivity rate to 7.7% in Greece.

Tragically, 78 people suffering from the coronavirus passed away in the country over the past 24-hour period, which represents 13 more than those who died with the virus on Sunday.

675 cases of Covid-19 diagnosed Attica alone; 216 in Thessaloniki

Of the 1,607 coronavirus cases recorded in Greece in the past 24 hours, 675 were located in Attica, home to the Greek capital city of Athens.

Instances of the virus were particularly high in the center of the city itself, where 203 cases of Covid-19 were identified Monday.

Tests showed that in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, a total of 216 cases of Covid-19 had been diagnosed in the last 24 hours.

Tourism workers next in line for Covid-19 vaccine in Greece

Greece’s Tourism Minister Harry Theocharis on Monday announced government plans to vaccinate 280,000 tourism sector workers against coronavirus as soon as those with underlying health conditions have been vaccinated.

Along with plans to vaccinate all inhabitants of islands with a population under 10,000, this is part of Greece’s roadmap towards safe tourism this summer.

Theocharis outlined the plan for tourism worker vaccinations in Parliament on Monday. He highlighted that vulnerable people would continue to be prioritized, but that tourism workers would be next to be vaccinated.

Tourism workers’ vaccinations depend on how quickly the vulnerable people in their areas are inoculated. Theocharis stressed that there will also be self-tests available for tourism workers while they await their coronavirus inoculations.

Once the vaccination of tourism workers begins, it will be a relatively quick three-week process, Theoharis says.

Over 300,000 total cases of the Coronavirus identified in the country

Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 316,879 cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in the country, including all those who have recovered from the virus.

Of the cases diagnosed in Greece in the past seven days, just 59 are associated with foreign travel and 3,072 have been linked to contact with a known case.

Of the 847 patients intubated currently, 85.6% are over the age of 70 or suffer from preexisting conditions. Their average age is 68.

On Monday alone, 486 people with the coronavirus were admitted to hospitals in Greece.

Additionally, a total of 1,943 patients have been discharged from ICUs around the country since the beginning of the pandemic.

The 78 new deaths recorded on Monday bring the total number of fatalities in the country to 9,540; 95.5% of those who have passed away with the virus were over the age of 70 or suffered from underlying health issues.